50 Page Fridays: Anne and Todd McCaffrey

By awoodfolk on May 18, 2012

Every Friday, we here @ Del Rey Spectra will place a 50 page excerpt of a selected title on Suvudu. Whether it is science fiction, epic fantasy, alternate history, horror, urban fantasy, paranormal, the possibilities are endless.

This week’s excerpt comes from Sky Dragons, the latest and final novel in the epic Pern saga. In this riveting conclusion, we’ll meet two exciting new characters: A dragonrider named Xhinna, and Jirana, a girl who can forsee the future. Like many of the stories of Pern, Sky Dragons promises to keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page.

Todd McCaffrey, son and co-author of Anne McCaffrey, tells us why he’s decided to carry on his mother’s legacy.

“A long time ago — all the way back in 1994 –I was asked to consider writing on Pern. I was reluctant to do so, as Pern was a very special place: My mother, Anne McCaffrey, had created and populated it herself with amazing characters. But, as I was reminded, ‘Your mother won’t live forever. I’d hate to see the series die with her. If you could at least write some Young Adult books, that’d keep the series alive.’

All too true. Too many of my favorite childhood authors have passed away and their books have disappeared with them — far too many of them lost simply because of the inherent difficulties in managing literary estates. But I didn’t have any idea of what to write.
And then I woke up one night with the outline for Dragonsblood, and the words for Wind Blossom’s Song. Seven books later (eight, counting Dragonsblood), and Sky Dragons brings us to the place where many new books can be written, and new stories where girls can fly not only gold but also green and blue dragons are waiting to be told.

In this way, Sky Dragons is both an ending and a beginning. It answers the last of the questions raised in Dragonsblood and it opens a new chapter in the Third Pass. It is the last collaboration with my mother, but it foreshadows so many new possibilities.
I think that Sky Dragons is our best work together, and I’m excited about the books that are yet to come.”

I was interested in this – years back I bought every Pern novel that came out, but thought it had died off. However, your system apparently requires subscribing to that craptastic Facebook to get a download.

As always I am a huge fan of all books McCaffrey, not just the Dragons of Pern novels, but all of the novels including the Crystal Singers, the Rowan, the Unicorn and the Pegasus series. I am excited and very happy that Todd has chosen to follow in her giant footsteps and keep the sagas going. I do not want to end any of these worlds in my, or my children’s lifetimes. There will always be fans of these books, and these worlds with their future possibilities for humankind beyond many lifetimes, in my opinion.